Falmouth Nov 29^th 1862

 

Friend William

                        I received your welcome letter this morning and was glad to hear from you and hear you were all well and enjoying good health. I got $2.00 that you sent me. it came safe and sound I was glad it came for I needed some money just this time. I think a little money a great ways from home would come quite convenient for there is any quantity of soldiers out of money and any quantity of Sutlers to buy of. there has been a great cry for tobacco lately and the poor soldiers havnt a cent to buy it. I think any one could / make their fortune out here selling the filthy weed. Im thankful I dont use it. "thats the way the money goes. Well Pop goes the weasle"

 

Billie I presume you are all done farming are you not? got your garden of potatoes dug &c. you said you had about three hundred bushells. I didnt think you would have so many as that. I thought if you had 100 bush you would do well. you didnt write how many baskets of corn you had. I suppose you had quite a large pile of it. I received a letter from home last week the folks have got their harvesting all done. they had 78 lb. of Apples. they are now working on their bacon which cancel in last winter by the great body of snow we had last winter. We have had quite a snow storm out here in the Sunny South. it snowed most all monday. us poor soldiers liked to frozen to death / it seems they have had pretty good sleighing in N.H. I hope we shall all get home to enjoy the sleighrides this winter. I am afraid we shant. Well I shall trust Providence. You say Fred is really married do you. "A little Boy like him" Ha. Ha. I should laugh to see him. Well I should really like to see the "Little Couple" I hope they will enjoy themselves live happy &c. I have been looking for a letter from Fred for more than two months but I have looked in vain. you tell him he may direct his letters toWashington instead Reeds Ferry. I suppose he works in the factory yet doesnt he? Wayland Balch said he was working for Jonny Abbott. he received a letter from John two or three weeks ago. Wayland is well as usual. he is in Co. E. 11^th Reg. if you want to write / to him you can. I presume he would be glad to hear from you.

 

Well William I havnt told you what a long march we have had we have marched about 160 miles. some days we marched 15 miles and some days not so much but you better believe we had pretty hard times of it. we have had very rainy weather out here so we had to march through mud and mire. some of the boys have got their boots worn out so they have to go almost bare foot. mine are almost worn out. I have got to petition to get a pair. We are now near Fredericksburg. it is a very large city. we can see the steeples from us. there is about 150 thousand Rebels over there so we expect a big Battle here soon. after that we are going on to Richmond. probably that will be the last great Battle if we have one there. Burnside says he is going to have 400,000 strong before he goes into Richmond. I hope he will. he is bound to take Richmond this time he says. "Bully for him" I think they have done something worth doing when they superseedid M^cClellan I think Burnside is a go ahead man he will put things through Double Quick page 1^st

 

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Well I guess I have written about all the news so I must bring this miserable scrawl to a mission. I shall expect to hear from you sooner next time Write all the news Tell Georgia this letter will do for both of you. tell her I am much obliged for her Poetry. Excuse mistakes.

 

From E. P. French

 

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Wayland Balch sends his respecks to you

 

Tell Fred Hildreth to write to me soon. I will answer.

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